Atalii o le Atua
by GusCGC
Summary: The Gods found him and raise him. He fought monsters and demons, felt in love and became the hero of the immortals but Maui was destined for greatness and that meant he would have to return to mortals. To meet a giant coconut crab, to fight for the love of his life and finally, became the demigod that men needed him to be. Prequel of Moana. Front cover by Skydrathik.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: In order to make the story good, I'm giving my fic Lalotai a bit more time but don't worry, is all taken care of. I'm glad to hear everything is working fine, I'll update soon all the other stories, promise. The prequel is here and after doing some thinking, I'm going to use elements from that great movie Tarzan from 1999. After all, I have to explain from where that boisterous and bragging nature of Maui comes from but I'll try to keep details from Moana to avoid confusion. And don't worry, Tamatoa fans, he will be there! Our favorite shiny crab will be here. Oh, and I have to give a big congratulations hug to SonChihan for that marvellous story "To the Moon and Back". BRAVO!

Let's go!

* * *

 **1\. Lost Child**

The Ocean is a mysterious being, sometimes even for us gods. I always thought that, because Tangaroa ruled it, we would never have to fear anything from it but sometimes I realize that is not about fear but things we can't understand. For many centuries, I have watched from high above how this world changed, moved and was inhabited by mortals. It became a strange habit to live alongside these creatures. They are full of greed and seemed to never have enough but their minds always boil with new ideas. I always hoped to understand them somehow but that chance seemed to always escaped me until one fateful day, when the tides of fate put the very thing I wanted in my reach.

It was a day of clear waves and no clouds when I noticed something moving in the waters below me. The ocean was trying his hardest to keep a small object floating but I couldn't make what it was until I saw it was a small bundle made of hair and flesh. Thinking it was just rubbish, I went back to my things until something unusual happened. Something that was going the change the world of us gods forever. It all began when the silence of the ocean was broken by an unfamiliar sound. It was a sound like one never heard before in this part of the open seas. It was a man-cub! Had I known how deeply I was to be involved, I would have obeyed my first impulse and walked away. Mortals carried their babies in large canoes so his mother couldn't be far. Still, the little man kept on desperately crying. I couldn't turn around that second time. Not with such a small creature fighting for his life.

I, Rangi, god of the Heaves, have many children of my own. Many of them are now grown up deities but I couldn't help feeling bad for that poor little thing so I used one of my hawks to pick him up and be brought to me. He was covered in jellyfish and birds have started to try to eat the boy. I also observed that he was premature, borne before his time and yet he was bigger than the usual mortal babies, he looked more like an animal than a man but I could feel greatness in him. Even for someone so small, he had wasted his lungs in asking for help and had reached me. The little man was barely alive but when I brush my thumb against him, he held it still. I made up my mind then and decided to take him in as my own. I breathed life into the boy to keep him in this world and watched over him ever since that day.

I named him Maui and watched him as he grew stronger with every year passing. He quickly became my biggest pride and was always striving for my approval. I knew that he was destined for greatness but I needed him to be ready for the world outside. Fear made me realize that despite being mortal, I didn't want my son to be with his kind. He had been rejected once, what if it happened again? I couldn't do that to him and so, I made up my mind. I took him to see my older son, Rehua, the star god, who gave him the baptism of fire and my wife, Papa, the earth goddess, gave him some of her milk. That changed that little boy into a real immortal, a demigod, a giant among men. I feared for a long while that Maui wouldn't endure such a painful process. His mana had to be changed along with all his mortal features and it was such an excruciating experience that many didn't survive it. He screamed, agonized, tore his skin, trashed, turned, covered in sweat… and lived on. My little boy was now a real demigod who would one day be a full deity.

I was really proud of him and I could tell that he was happy of having accomplished such a feat. Even with all the sweat and tears, he was smiling at me. I thought that now it would be just him and me but fate had other plans in mind.

When Maui turned five, his hyperactive mind began to make questions I couldn't answer and I realized that he missed being with other children. He loved to play with my birds but that wasn't enough. He needed more space than just a patch of clouds so I called on Tangaroa and he accepted to watch over Maui along with his own children. Maui quickly became friends with the other small gods, especially Hina and her brother, Irawaru. They loved to run around the beach and watch other living creatures. They taught Maui the art of shape-shifting and even if he was unable to do it, my little man began to memorize different animals in hopes of one day being able to do so. I was sure that now things were settled but I was far from knowing that Maui had just started to realize how powerful he really was and the long journey ahead of him. A journey that would take him away from me and into the world where Maui was once borne.

* * *

First chapter and getting there.

It really got me that Maui had to know the other gods somehow. According to the story, he was raised by Rangi but then I realize that he had to meet Hina and the others while he was little. So I picked Tangaroa, the ocean god, to do the job and served as matai, island chief. The idea of the divine milk comes from the scene of Dragon Ball where Korin, the cat, gives Goku the Ultra Divine Water.

What adventures await the little demigod? How did he meet Tamatoa? And Kuna Loa? How did he get his hook? And Mini-Maui?

The game is afoot!


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: We move on and with the most popular crab of the year. He might not appear as such in this story for some time but Tama will be around. After all, there can't be a great hero without a great villain, right? I'm not sure if he likes being a crab plushy while we wait… Pretty sure he does.

Let's go!

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 **2\. The Golden Crab**

Some years have gone by and Maui was now seven years old but somewhere else in the ocean, a very peculiar character was destined to enter the life of the demigod through the most peculiar place of all. The large realm was a vast extension of caves, large creatures and strange plants but none of that scared the figure that tiptoed into the hidding place of the largest monster in the place. Not anymore.

"Huhuhuhuhu!" a pair of blue eyes appeared through the many elements inside the coral cave of Lalotai, the Realm of Monsters. "What have we here?" he gently held up a wonderful golden tiki figure. "It's sparkly, shiny… Wait a minute" the young man blew some air on it, revealing it was just paint. "Eugh, another piece of junk! Seriously? How many of these can Granma have?"

"TOA! Get back here, fish breath!" a powerful voice called and the young fisherman had to forget about scavenging through the treasures of the biggest coconut crab in Lalotai back in those days. 'Granma' Tinamatua had proclaimed herself the ruler of the realm and the only reason why our thieving human was still alive was only because Tinamatua loved to make him miserable and used him as errand boy to enlarge her collection. Toa, a total disaster with the net and the hook, appeared one day in the realm to steal some gold for his family but his greed took over. When he tried to sail away, he almost drowned due to the weight and got saved by the monsters that began to use him as a way to get more treasures. Toa didn't like it but couldn't complain. His bony figure and black hair falling over his shoulders were now covered in certain parts by barnacles and it was a constant reminder of his debt. Tinamatua sat on a gigantic oyster and watched over the whole realm. "What am I gonna do with you, soft feet? You only bring me rubbish! I can't be a goddess with this junk! I need something special, something shiny! You hear me? I only gave you one choir, just one. Bring me things worth my status as queen and goddess of this realm. And what do you do? You only bring me junk! That's all you do! You… Are you listening, soft crab?"

"Yes, Granma" muttered Toa under his breath. "Don't you think if you give me more time on the surface, I would be more efficient?"

"Hu! You would run to your family. I know that trick so don't push me"

"They all died, in case you have forgotten" Toa grunted. A week after taking the fisherman under his wing, Tinamatua had made sure that he had no home to return to.

"Poor things. Tasty too"

"Humph" the man frowned deeper.

"Growl all you want, little fish. One day you'll see things my way when you finally join my ranks"

"I'm already in your ranks"

"Not entirely. You are just a pawn, for now. One day, I'll make a fine monster out of you"

"Keep dreaming" Toa watched her still remembering the taste.

"Humans taste better than tuna, never forget that. Once you eat one, you'll never want to quit"

"Lalalalala, not listening" the man covered his ears.

"Pretend as you want, Toa. It is already inside you, I can tell" the coconut crab smiled.

"Do I look like one of your crab minions? No. Then it's settled"

"You are one big greedy creature. Faomea told me so" one of her best crustacean bandits telling tales of the human, how unusual!

"Just quit it, ok? Right now, I have to do some hunt treasure for you, remember? I can't be here waiting for you to make up your blooming mind while you tell me things that make no sense"

"Very well, you go on then but I'll make you one of my minions. I am your only family now, Toa, and one day, my world will be yours" she pointed at his necklace where two pincers hung. The man covered them with his hand and left the place, leaving Tinamatua with her crab people.

"He'll be trouble, Granma. Why not kill him already?" asked Faomea.

"Because he'll be my heir one day"

"Hate to break it to you, Gran, but he's human"

"Not for long. Did you notice how he looked through my treasures? His body might still be the same but his soul is changing. He craves for shine and the barnacles are already taking root in his skin. All he needs is a little push. I didn't pick him because he is a double-crossing fish but because there is a mighty crab sleeping inside that puny body. I can feel it. He's been here with us for ten years now. Soon, his bony self will stop fighting and take in the change as one of us. You can live with monsters for so long and not become one of them"

"If you say so"

Toa sighed. Once away from Tinamatua, he could deal with his splicing headache. For the last few days, his brain had given him hell. Each time he went into the coral cave, he felt it. An itching feeling that ran through his whole body, craving for more, crashing against his bones and only getting content when shiny things surrounded him. Was he going crazy? He couldn't tell. Something was different about him and that thought scared him. Toa looked at his hand. It trembled like mad.

The fisherman shook his head and decided to start his climb up in search for more treasures for his never-happy-Granma.

* * *

A short introduction of our other main character in this drama.

I read very carefully the ideas of SonChihan and HolyMaiden24 about human versions of Tamatoa and decided to make my own, starting from zero. From where did Tamatoa's grandmother come from? And his obsession with shiny things? I built a past for him and put the Queen of Lalotai on scene.

And yes, Toa's first line is the first one he says in the film. I wanted to make the obvious link between his past and present.

He will soon meet with the one who is destined to be his friend, rival and finally, arch-enemy.

See you soon!


End file.
